THE weather played a big part in the outcome of this past deer season, not only in New York but throughout the northeast.

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation reported that the deer take during the 2001 season decreased slightly from the previous year’s harvest, though many hunters enjoyed a successful season despite uncooperative weather.

The total deer take in the 2001 season was approximately 280,000, including 127,000 bucks and 153,000 antlerless deer. The overall harvest is approximately five percent below the 2000 take of 295,000 deer, with hunters taking about 10 percent fewer bucks compared to the previous year total of 140,000.

According to New York’s wildlife experts, the unseasonably warm autumn weather, especially during the Southern Zone regular season, had a significant impact on hunting conditions and overall hunter success.

Both deer and hunter activity tend to slow down in warm weather, and in some areas of the state, temperatures in late November were at the warmest levels in the last 100 years. In light of these circumstances, a decline in the harvest was expected, said wildlife biologists.

The northeast states experienced declines in deer take and hunter success due to unusual hunting conditions. Maine, for example, experienced a 30 percent decline in its deer take, which biologists primarily attributed to the unseasonably warm fall weather.

In New York, Steuben County had the highest deer take in 2001, with 20,570 deer, including 7,910 bucks, harvested. Allegany County was second, with 18,256 deer, including 6,939 bucks, followed by Cattaraugus County, with 16,876 deer, including 6,868 bucks. Chautauqua County (11,765 total, 4,429 bucks) and St. Lawrence County (11,350 total, 6,159 bucks) rounded out the top five counties in the state.

Despite the overall reduction in deer take in the 2001 season, New York says it achieved its target harvest of slightly more than 100,000 adult females, a critical tool in helping to control the state’s deer population. DEC issued more than 564,000 deer management permits for the 2001 season, which are valid for taking only antlerless deer.

Although the 280,000 deer take in the state is well above the previous five-year average of 240,000, the DEC says it will continue efforts to reduce overall deer numbers. Almost half of the Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) in the state still report deer populations above desired objectives.